Elijah opened his eyes, blinking and then pulling the thick hotel blankets up over his head to block out Orb's bright morning sun. Probably morning. Considering when he'd fallen into bed and how many time zones they'd been through in the last couple of days, Elijah wasn't entirely sure it was morning. Though Gai...

Gai had closed the curtains when they'd first gotten in. So he was up, at least. And yeah, Elijah could smell coffee and a thin bit of cigarette smoke. Elijah shifted, peering out a bit. There was a balcony that Elijah hadn't noticed, and the windows were actually doors, open to where Gai was sitting in the sun, feet propped on another plastic chair with his coffee beside him and a cigarette in one hand. He had a computer on his lap, probably looking at the news - making sure Serpent Tail wasn't in it.

For a long moment, Elijah just stared. Gai was almost radiant in the sunlight, his features lit from an angle and the orange of his sunglasses almost washed away.

Elijah didn't want to get out of bed. He wanted to stay there, watching Gai, and not have to deal with the cruelty of the situation. They'd been offered five rooms, after all. Gai had accepted three, from his friend Erica, after a soft conversation with Loretta that Elijah could only guess at.

This was the first time he'd been in a room with just himself and Gai. There had been times when he'd needed to share with Reed, who snored, or with Reed and Gai, who seemed immune to Reed's snoring. But this...

If he hadn't been exhausted, Elijah didn't think he would have slept. Not with Gai in the next bed, stripped down to a minimum and relaxed after their last mission.

Maybe it was good. Maybe Gai didn't know how he felt and Elijah was almost comforted by that. If Gai knew and had done this on purpose-- No, Gai wasn't that cruel.

Now all Elijah had to do was get out of bed, take a quick shower, and see what the day held. Perhaps they'd all go back over to Morgenroete, where they'd left their mobile suits the night before. Perhaps... well, Elijah wasn't even sure what to do with a free day in Orb.

"Good morning," Gai called from the balcony. He closed the screen on the computer and grabbed his coffee cup before standing. Elijah hadn't seen what happened to his cigarette - probably an ash tray out there somewhere.

"How late is it?" Elijah replied, his voice thin and throat dry.

"You can stay in bed a bit longer, if you want." Gai crossed into the room and over to the coffee maker. He set his computer on the dresser nearby. Elijah shook his head, despite Gai's inability to see him from that angle.

"I should get up," Elijah finally managed as he pushed himself upright. He didn't remember the bed even having this many thick, fluffy blankets, nor how he hadn't overheated under them all.

He hadn't expected Gai to be beside him a moment later, offering a coffee mug of cold water. It was delicious and Elijah was momentarily surprised that he'd slept through Gai not only making coffee, but also going to get ice and fresh water, and, based on Gai's hair and the absence of the too-long-on-a-mission scent that Elijah knew he still carried, a decent shower.

"Thanks." He smiled, and after he drank a bit more, Elijah set the mug on the nightstand.

"I'm heading over to Morgenroete in a bit. There's nothing else going on at the moment, so you can--"

"I'll go with you," Elijah said quickly. "My GINN is there, too. I..."

Gai just nodded and went back to the coffee maker.

Elijah stretched and sighed softly. Maybe that was it. His GINN, and Veia.

He didn't think he had the words to explain.

"Whenever you're ready, Elijah."

He hadn't realized that Gai had heard him. But Gai always... Always seemed to...

Oh...

Gai wasn't talking about Morgenroete at all, was he?

Oh.